Nigerian AI Center Crowdsources Multi-sectoral Solutions

Aurora Lab, a Nigerian artificial intelligence (AI) innovation centre, has called on organisations and individuals to submit real-world problems for the development of practical, AI-driven solutions.

The centre, also known as Auroralab, said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that artificial intelligence is used to address challenges affecting real people, rather than remaining largely experimental.

Aurora Lab focuses on building indigenous AI engineering capacity while deploying technology to tackle pressing development and business challenges across Nigeria and the wider African continent.

According to the organisers, the innovation hub operates around three core objectives: delivering high-impact AI-driven development solutions for Africa, building AI-powered global business tools, and training world-class Nigerian AI engineers capable of competing internationally.

The centre explained that it was closing a long-standing gap between ideas and impact by creating a pipeline that connects sector experts with deep knowledge of local challenges, Nigerian engineers trained to build practical tools, and development and business partners committed to measurable outcomes.

As part of the call for submissions, Aurora Lab is inviting problem statements from a broad range of sectors. These include the education sector, focusing on access, quality, teacher support, and learning outcomes; healthcare and public health; agriculture and food security; and climate and environmental sustainability.

Other priority areas include economic development and governance, and business and small- and medium-scale enterprises, particularly in operations, growth, customer engagement, and finance.

The centre noted that all submitted problems will undergo a structured screening process, after which selected challenges will be reviewed, refined, and co-created with partner organisations to develop AI products that address root causes and deliver tangible impact.